1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming device such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunctional machine produced by combining two or more of these, and further to a controlling device for the image forming device and a controlling system for the image forming device, and further to a recording medium having a program recorded thereon for making a computer execute a control procedure in the image forming device, controlling device and controlling system, respectively.
2. Description of Related Art
As an image forming device such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunctional machine produced by combining two or more of these is known an image forming device which can form an electrostatic latent image on an image carrying member, can form a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image with a developing device having a developer therein, and can supply a toner from a replaceably attached toner cartridge to the developing device, and comprises a toner level detecting device for detecting a level of toner in the toner cartridge, the toner level detecting device being capable of detecting a toner near empty state indicating that the toner cartridge will be shortly empty of toner, and an indicating device which can indicate that the toner cartridge is in the near empty state.
In a conventional image forming device of this type, when the toner level detecting device detects the toner cartridge is near empty of toner, the information that the toner cartridge is near empty is indicated on the indicating device, and is notified to the user of the image forming device.
The user learns from the indication that the toner cartridge is near empty, and prepares a toner cartridge replacement, or order a toner cartridge to obtain a toner cartridge replacement if no toner cartridge is in stock before the toner cartridge is emptied and image formation is no longer possible.
How much grace period is allowed from the toner near empty detection to the toner cartridge replacement varies depending on the presence or absence of the toner cartridge replacement. As for this point, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-313226 (JP2006-313226A) describes switching the timing for detecting that the toner is near empty by stock information of the toner cartridge stored in the body of the image forming device.
Meanwhile, control of an image forming device is increasingly conducted by building a remote management system, in which an image forming device and a controlling device is connected via a communication line and information about control is exchanged between the image forming device and the controlling device.
The controlling device is often located at a sales company of the image forming device or a service company which provides service such as maintenance. The controlling device uses various information including the information that the toner is near empty from the image forming devices of a plurality of users for maintaining and controlling the image forming devices.
With such an image forming device which is connected to such a controlling device, the controlling device can recognize that the toner is near empty, and when no toner cartridge replacement is in stock on the user side of the image forming device, a toner cartridge replacement can be provided accordingly rapidly. This therefore eliminates the necessity of switching the timing for detecting that the toner is near empty depending on the stock status of the toner cartridge.
In either case, when the toner empty indication is indicated, the user may replace the toner cartridge in some cases although the toner is remaining in the toner cartridge.
In such a case, the cartridge with toner remaining inside is thrown away. From the perspective of resource saving, it is desirable that the toner cartridge is replaced only when the amount of toner left in the toner cartridge is as low as possible. In addition, when there is a billing contract between the sales company of the image forming device and the user that a certain amount is paid per one sheet of image formed, from the viewpoint of the sales company, it is desirable that the toner cartridge is replaced only when the amount of toner left in the toner cartridge is as low as possible.
Even so, if the toner near empty indication is not indicated on the indicating device, the toner cartridge is emptied (the state that printing is inhibited) before the user knows that the toner is near empty, and therefore image formation is no longer feasible. The user needs to replace the toner cartridge after such an event has occurred, and in case of the user who has no toner cartridge replacement in stock, the state that no image formation can be carried out lasts after he/she orders a cartridge for replacement until it arrives.